OPINION

T-Mac in Trouble? McAuliffe's Virginia Meltdown

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.

Is Terry McAuliffe in the midst of a complete and total meltdown as he flails through the final two weeks of his gubernatorial campaign in Virginia? It sure looks like it. 

Before I offer evidence to support this audacious and unlikely statement, let's first recognize the extremely unlikely prospect of Glenn Youngkin or any Republican winning a state-wide election in the deep blue Commonwealth of Virginia. 

What's that, you say? Virginia is a purple state? Oh, I know... you've heard that from every mainstream media outlet and legacy media publication, but don't believe it. Calling Virginia a purple state is pre-emptive damage control for the disastrous loss that even these corporate media shills seem to be anticipating. 

The last time any Republican won state-wide in the Old Dominion was 12 years ago in 2009. Since then, every state-wide election, from US senator to governor to lieutenant governor to attorney general, has gone to the Democrats. Over the past several years, both chambers of the state's legislature have fallen into Democrat control. 

Furthermore, the state hasn't delivered its Electoral College votes for a Republican presidential candidate since 2004. This is not a purple state. 

Do you know what purple states did in the 2016 presidential election? They went for Trump. Virginia went for Hillary by five points. Last year, they went for Biden by ten points. 

Yes, Virginia, Virginia is a blue state. 

So the fact that nearly every reputable poll in the commonwealth shows this race as a statistical dead-heat is already a stunning development, especially considering McAuliffe's craven ability to raise campaign cash by the fistful... honestly, it's his only discernable skillset. 

You already know the various ways Youngkin has been able to gain traction in this very uphill climb. From the local school board dramas playing out in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties to the staggering inflation thanks to McAuliffe's wingman Joe Biden, to McAuliffe's close ties to defund the police interest groups, Youngkin is on the right side of every hot-button issue motivating voters in 2021. 

McAuliffe's continued erratic behavior has reinforced his image as a buffoonish clown who only knows how to repeat Democrat-approved talking points while demanding suitcases full of campaign dollars from every special interest and public sector union who will eventually run Virginia should he gain another term. 

As he sees his once-presumed victory slip away, his antics are getting more extreme... and embarrassing. 

His latest debacle is a painful-to-watch (but you can't look away) interview abruptly ended by T-Mac as he walks off the set ten minutes early because he didn't like the questions he was asked by a local TV DC reporter. Because, you know... if there's one thing every Democrat politician in the DC area has in common, it's that they have such a rough time with the local reporters in the area. 

"Hey, I gave you extra time," McAuliffe told ABC 7 reporter Nick Minock as he stood up to leave. "C'mon, man. You should have asked better questions early on. You should have asked questions your viewers care about."

This, plus his ridiculous attempt to claim Youngkin "took him out of context" by literally playing a video of the Democrat saying, "I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach" at a September 28 debate, paints a picture of a desperate candidate. 

McAuliffe spent the past several months trying to sell the idea that Youngkin is a carbon copy of Trump. You can't blame him, I suppose. This strategy worked for Gavin Newsom against Larry Elder in California. And since McAuliffe has never had an original, creative idea in his career, why not just steal what the last Democrat in a governor's race did?

But the strategy might not translate as cleanly in Virginia. Youngkin is not a talk radio host with thousands of hours of monologues over the past several years like Elder is. 

Also, Virginia is not California... yet.